Steelers Place LT Broderick Jones On Season-Ending IR; CB Asante Samuel To Make 2025 Debut
NOVEMBER 30: Jones’ neck injury is more serious than originally thought, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He will be miss the remainder of the season as a result.
NOVEMBER 29: The Steelers placed left tackle Broderick Jones on injured reserve and elevated cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Bills, per a team announcement.
The 2023 first-round pick will miss at least four games due to his IR placement. His earliest return would come in Week 17 against the Browns.
Jones suffered a neck injury during Pittsburgh’s Week 12 loss to the Bears. Six-year veteran Calvin Anderson closed out the game, but head coach Mike Tomlin said on Saturday that Andrus Peat would take over blind side duties in Week 13.
Jones, 24, started the Steelers’ first 11 games of the season, allowing six sacks and 23 pressures in 356 pass-blocking opportunities, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). His 95.9 pass block efficiency is not much better than his 95.3 marks in the previous two season.
Peat will start at left tackle in the meantime. He has barely played in the last two years, but started 11 games at left tackle in New Orleans in 2023. He allowed two sacks and 30 pressures in 459 pass-blocking opportunities, per PFF, suggesting he can be a solid but unspectacular fill-in for Jones.
Samuel, 26, will make his 2025 debut against the Bills He was cleared from offseason spinal fusion surgery at the beginning of November and signed with the Steelers after taking visits with a number of teams. Sunday’s game will be Samuel’s first action in over a year and the Steelers are entering Week 13 with a relatively healthy cornerback room. As a result, he may not see much action, though Pittsburgh may try to get him in the game so he can reacclimate to the field. That would also give the Steelers a chance to evaluate Samuel and see what he can contribute for the rest of the year.
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers To Return In Week 13
NOVEMBER 30: While Rodgers is indeed playing in Week 13, he is doing so with at least three fractures in his wrist, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. One of those is a more significant break that can only occur as a result of considerable force.
As Rapoport adds, howerver, since Rodgers’ bones are fractured but are not displaced, and since he is able to tolerate the pain, he can play. His willingness to do so has reportedly increased the respect the locker room has for him.
NOVEMBER 28: Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor) that quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return from a one-game absence and start on Sunday against the Bills.
“Full participant today, no injury designation Sunday. All systems go,” Tomlin said.
Rodgers went down in the Steelers’ Week 11 win over the Bengals with a fracture in his left (non-throwing) wrist. He was hoping to suit up in Week 12, but ultimately sat out to avoid further damage to his wrist. Mason Rudolph got the start instead and could not get the win over the Bears. A strong Pittsburgh running game racked up 186 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, but Rudolph only passed for 171 yards despite completing 24 of his 31 passes. To be fair to Rudolph, the Steelers defense allowed 31 points, but they also produced a score of their own, so the offense was only responsible for 21 of the team’s 28 points.
The Steelers will hope that Rodgers’ return will help them against the Bills’ top-ranked pass defense. Buffalo has allowed just 168.2 passing yards per game this year, the lowest in the league, though they have struggled against the run. Between Rodgers’ injury and a Steelers offense that has been stronger on the ground, they may lean on their rushing attack on Sunday.
A win on Sunday would put Pittsburgh one game ahead of Baltimore in the AFC North after the Ravens’ loss to the Bengals on Thursday night. But a more severe injury to Rodgers’ wrist could put the rest of their season in jeopardy. The Bills have a 25.1% pressure rate, a 10.6% knockdown rate, and a 7.9% sack rate, all top 10 marks in the league, while the Steelers’ 21 sacks allowed are the ninth-fewest in the league. Their offensive line will need to continue their success on Sunday afternoon to keep Rodgers safe.
Lions C Frank Ragnow Fails Physical, Will Not Play In 2025
Lions center Frank Ragnow failed his physical and will not play in 2025, per a team announcement.
Detroit’s medical team found a Grade 3 hamstring strain that will prevent Ragnow from completing his comeback attempt after retiring this offseason. Head coach Dan Campbell said that Ragnow informed the team about the injury, prompting further evaluation. That revealed a more severe injury that immediately eliminated the chance of Detroit’s longtime center playing this season.
Ragnow, 29, came out of retirement after the Lions’ suffered multiple injuries along their offensive line. Left guard Christian Mahogany broke his leg in Week 9 and could be out until the new year. Center Graham Glasgow did not play on Thanksgiving due to a knee injury.
Mahogany has been replaced by Kayode Awosika, while Trystan Colon filled in for Glasgow on Thursday. If Ragnow had returned, he would have taken over at center and moved Glasgow to left guard, his spot in 2024, once he was healthy.
Ragnow would have been a boost to the Lions’ offensive line. Though the unit is not exactly struggling, the injuries have left them without their preferred options. Ragnow, a four-time Pro Bowler, has been one of the league’s best centers for the last several years. In his last five seasons, he allowed just four sacks and earned a 90.0 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) three times.
Instead, the Lions will have to stick with Awosika, Colon, and Glasgow to fill their left guard and center spots. The first has only played guard, but the latter two line up at both spots, giving Detroit a few potential combinations. Rookie Miles Frazier came off the non-football injury list this week and could get a look as well. He primarily played right guard in college, but spent time at left guard in 2022 and would likely step in there.
As for Ragnow, his age indicates that he could try again in 2026, but his initial retirement was partially driven by the injuries he suffered throughout his career. His only full season came in 2020. Since his comeback was foiled by another injury, he may take it as confirmation of his initial decision.
Campbell said that nothing had been discussed regarding Ragnow’s future, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Nick Sirianni Backs Kevin Patullo, Will Not Change Offensive Play-Caller
Despite the Eagles’ offensive woes, head coach Nick Sirianni has no intention of taking play-calling duties away from OC Kevin Patullo.
“We’re not changing the play caller, but we will evaluate everything,” Sirianni said after Philadelphia’s 24-15 loss to the Bears (via Zach Berman of The Athletic). “It’s never just about one person. You win as a team, you lose as a team, and you try to evaluate everything, win, lose or draw and get better from it.”
But Eagles fans do not agree. Chants of “Fire Kevin” rang out at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday as Philadelphia’s offense converted only four of their 12 third downs and turned the ball over twice. The Bears finished with a massive advantage in rushing yards (281-87), number of plays (85-51), and time of possession (39:18-20:42). But Sirianni does not think Patullo is the problem.
“I know it will keep coming back to Kevin, but again, if I thought it was one thing, then you make those changes,” Sirianni said. “Obviously, it’s a lot of different things, but I don’t think it is Kevin. Now, we all have a part in it. Kevin has a part of it. I have a part of it. All the coaches have a part of it. All the players have a part of it.”
However, Patullo’s offense is the Eagles’ worst in years. Currently, the unit are ranked 19th in points and 24th in total yards, which would be the franchise’s worst finishes since 2020. That, of course, was Doug Pederson‘s last year in Philadelphia before Sirianni took over the top job. In other words, this is the Eagles’ least productive offense in the Sirianni era.
Patullo is also the Eagles’ fourth coordinator in four years. After running Sirianni’s offense for the first two years of his tenure, Shane Steichen took the Colts’ head coaching job in 2023 and was replaced by Brian Johnson. But Johnson’s offense sputtered in the second half of the season and only put up nine points in a wild card loss to the Buccaneers. Kellen Moore took over in 2024, and he put together a dominant offense that fueled the Eagles’ playoff run, especially in the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl. He was hired as the Saints’ next head coach, and Patullo was promoted from pass game coordinator to OC.
As a result, Sirianni may be hoping that he can weather the storm with Patullo in the hopes that the 44-year-old coach can bounce back by the rest of the season. That would prevent Sirianni from finding another offensive coordinator and, ideally, allow Patullo to learn from his initial mistakes and put together a stronger campaign next year.
Dolphins To Activate Darren Waller From IR
The Dolphins are expected to activate Darren Waller from injured reserve for their Week 13 matchup with the Saints, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Waller landed on injured reserve after suffering a pectoral strain in Week 7. He completed his mandatory four-game absence and was designated to return earlier this week. He participated in all three practices and is designated as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Waller’s return will boost a Dolphins tight end room that has struggled to produce this year. Other than Waller, none of Miami’s tight ends have scored a touchdown this year, and the position group as a whole has contributed just 28 receptions for 269 yards. In Waller’s three games before getting injured, he made 10 catches for 117 yards and four touchdowns.
Miami will need to clear a 53-man roster spot to complete Waller’s activation, but it is not clear who will be waived. The Dolphins have three tight ends – Julian Hill, Tanner Conner, and Greg Dulcich – on their active roster, plus fullback Alec Ingold. Head coach Mike McDaniel seems to value Hill, Conner, and Ingold’s blocking prowess, but Dulcich has been a better pass-catcher than all three since Waller went down. He has eight catches for 89 yards in three games for an average of 22.2 yards per game, more than what Hill and Conner’s combined total.
Seahawks Eyeing Week 14 Return For Julian Love
The Seahawks are hoping to get injured safety Julian Love back from injured reserve in Week 14, according to The Athletic’s Michael Shawn-Dugar.
Love, 27, has dealt with multiple injuries this season. He played through a groin injury in Week 2 but sat out the following week with a hamstring issue. He return in Week 4 and played a full game, but further issues with his hamstring sidelined him again.
The Seahawks were initially hoping that Love would come back within a few weeks, but he suffered a setback shortly after his return to practice in Week 6. He was eventually placed on injured reserve on November 1 and is now eligible to be activated after missing four games. He has not been designated to return, but that will likely come early next week so he has time to ramp up before Seattle’s Week 14 matchup with the Falcons.
The Seahawks have primarily called on third-year safety Ty Okada to replace Love this season. Despite a 68% snap share, he ranks fifth on the team in tackles and passes defended, and his 73.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranks 20th among all NFL safeties with at least 200 snaps.
The Seahawks have been one of the league’s best defenses this year with the third-fewest yards per rush and yards per pass in the league. Love’s return could further boost the unit, though he will have to stay healthy for the rest of the year to do so.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara Has MCL Sprain, Out For Week 13
Saints running back Alvin Kamara suffered a sprained MCL in Week 12 and will miss at least one game.
Kamara went down early in last week’s loss to the Falcons. An MRI revealed he avoided a serious injury, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, but he was still ruled out for the Saints’ Week 13 matchup with the Dolphins. The nine-year veteran should still have a chance to return this season.
2025 has been a down year for Kamara. The five-time Pro Bowler is putting up career-lows across the board with 3.6 yards per carry, 5.6 yards per reception, and 59.7 scrimmage yards per game.
Kendre Miller‘s season-ending injury in October will put rookie Devin Neal atop the Saints’ depth chart in Kamara’s absence. The sixth-round pick has only appeared in seven games this season with 29 total touches for 125 yards. In his last three years at Kansas, Neal averaged 6.0 yards per carry and scored 44 total touchdowns.
Kamara’s injury will also get Audric Estime invovled after just one appearance and three offensive snaps this year. The 2024 fifth-rounder recorded 310 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 76 carries as a rookie in Denver.
The Saints’ only other running back is Ian Wheeler, a 2023 UDFA who has yet to appear in an NFL game. He will be elevated from the practice squad for Sunday’s game and could have a game day role until Kamara’s return. New Orleans may also add a veteran to their inexperience, unproven backfield.
Cardinals Release Xavier Thomas; Baron Browning To Return In Week 13
The Cardinals will have outside linebackers Baron Browning and BJ Ojulari on the field together for the first time this season in Week 13.
Browning is returning from a two-game absence due to a concussion, while Ojulari missed Arizona’s first nine games as he recovered from last year’s knee injury. With both players back in the fold, the Cardinals waived 2024 fifth-rounder Xavier Thomas, per team reporter Darren Urban.
Despite playing 54% of the team’s defensive snaps in his nine appearances, Browning has just 26 tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss on the season. However, he has been credited with 22 pressures and a 12.5% pass rush win rate, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which both rank third among the Cardinals’ pass rushers. Based on those numbers, he is due for some better production for the rest of the season.
Thomas only appeared in four games this season with 15 snaps on defense and 42 on special teams. As a rookie, Thomas played 208 snaps with 2.5 sacks and two tackles for loss, but the addition of Josh Sweat this offseason and the return of Ojulari in Week 11 pushed him out of the rotation. Thomas will hit waivers and leave a dead cap hit of $93k in 2025 and $186k in 2026.
Bills Place Curtis Samuel On IR, Promote WR Gabe Davis
The Bills swapped wide receivers on their active roster on Friday by placing Curtis Samuel on injured reserve and signing Gabe Davis from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
Samuel was sidelined with knee and elbow injuries in Week 12, his fifth absence of the season after missing Weeks 1 through 4. He has only logged 81 receiving yards in six games despite a 40% snap share when active. This is his second disappointing campaign in a row after signing in Buffalo during the 2024 offseason. His three-year, $24MM contract has not aged well and he will likely be released as a cap casualty in the offseason. A pre-June 1 cut would save $6.275MM against the Bills’ 2026 salary cap with $3.45MM in dead money, per OverTheCap. A release after June 1 would save $8MM in 2026 with $1.725MM of dead money in 2026 and 2027.
Davis reunited with the Bills just before the start of the regular season, but did not see the field until second-year wideout Keon Coleman was benched in Week 11. Davis has started the last two games and caught four of his six targets for 62 yards on 59 snaps. His promotion to the 53-man roster indicates that he will continue to feature in Buffalo’s passing game for the rest of the season.
The Bills will also be without a number of key starters for their Week 13 matchup against the Steelers. Left tackle Dion Dawkins, right tackle Spencer Brown, and linebacker Terrel Bernard will all be sidelined on Sunday, according to the team’s injury report.
Dawkins briefly left last week’s game against the Texans to be checked for a concussion, but was cleared to return. After the game, however, symptoms reappeared, forcing the nine-year veteran into concussion protocol. He did not participate in practice this week.
Brown also went down in Week 12. His shoulder injury happened after Dawkins returned to the game; both tackles were replaced by swing tackle Ryan Van Demark in their respective absences. Van Demark will likely start at left tackle, which will set up rookie Chase Lundt to make his first career start at right tackle. The sixth-round pick has made one appearance this season, a three-snap effort in Week 4.
Bernard suffered an elbow injury in Houston, which will likely result in an uptick in work for Shaq Thompson and Dorian Williams. Bernard is tied for the most solo tackles and tackles for loss on the Bills defense.
Though Brown and Bernard could miss multiple games with their injuries, they are not expected to land on injured reserve, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic.
Rams Waive K Joshua Karty
The Los Angeles Rams waived Joshua Karty on Friday, per a team announcement, meaning that Harrison Mevis will take over the team’s kicking job for the rest of the season
The Rams signed Mevis to their practice squad at the beginning of November after some early season struggles from Karty. Mevis won a practice competition ahead of a Week 10 matchup with the 49ers. He his six extra points in that game and three in the next, enough to earn a spot on the active roster and another game as the team’s kicker.
In Week 12, he was finally tested on field goals, and he hit both of his attempts from 40 and 52 yards. He made another four extra points, too, enough to earn the confidence of the Rams’ coaching staff moving forward, at least enough for the team to move on from Karty.
Karty will go on waivers, though he seems unlikely to be claimed given his struggles this season. His performance as a rookie in 2024 – with an 88.3% make rate and five conversions on six attempts from over 50 yards – indicates he has the talent and leg strength to be a kicker in the NFL. An injury to another kicker could give him another chance this season, and he will likely seek an opportunity to compete for a starting job in 2026.